Matthew Steven Gould CMG MBE (born 20 August 1971) is a British former civil servant and diplomat who is the Chief Executive Officer of international science-led conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London). He was previously National Director for Digital Transformation in NHS England (2019–2022), Director General for Digital and Media Policy in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2015–19) and Ambassador to Israel (2010–15).

Gould is descended from Polish Jews who immigrated to the United Kingdom before World War II. His grandfather changed the family name from Goldkorn to Gould.^[1] Gould grew up in Wembley, London^[2] and was educated at Orley Farm School, Harrow before moving to St. Paul's School, where he was a contemporary of George Osborne, Patrick Neate, and Ed Vaizey.^[3] After St Paul's he spent a year teaching at Nyarukunda Secondary School in Northern Zimbabwe, with the organisation Project Trust.^[1] He then went to Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read philosophy and divinity.^[4] During this time, he spent a summer in Tanzania with the environmental NGO Frontier, and subsequently published an article on termite feeding preferences in the academic journal Sociobiology.^[5]

After joining the British Foreign Office in 1993, Gould initially served as Assistant Desk Officer (NATO/Bosnia), Security Policy Department until 1994; and then as Second Secretary in Manila in charge of political affairs and press from 1994 to 1997.^[6]

In Manila, Gould launched a programme of co-operation between Britain and the Philippines to combat child abuse, which included bringing detectives from the UK to run training courses for Filipino police officers.^[7][8] He was awarded the MBE for this work in the 1997 New Year's Honours list, at age 26.^[4] Gould was in Manila when Robin Cook visited as Foreign Secretary. Gould wrote a speech for Cook, and was immediately appointed by him as his speechwriter, continuing until 1999. During this period, Gould coordinated and led a group of young FCO officials keen to reform the FCO. Initially known as the Young Turks, the project led to the Foresight Report, a major internal review of how the FCO worked. The report was widely credited with helping the FCO to modernise itself and develop new and more open working practices.^[4][9]

Gould served as Deputy Head of the FCO's Consular Division from 1999 to 2001. In this time, he worked with Baroness Scotland, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, to create a more effective and active approach to the practice of forced marriage. Gould established a new unit in the FCO tasked with combatting forced marriage and helping its victims.^[10] From 2002 to 2003, he was Political Counsellor in Islamabad. From 2003 to 2005, Gould was Deputy Head of Mission in Tehran, and Chargé d'Affaires (acting Ambassador) for six months of this time. In June 2004, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard arrested six Royal Marines and two Royal Navy sailors on the Shaatt al Arab waterway, and held them for three days. Gould was sent to Khuzestan to negotiate their release, and flew back with them to Tehran.^[11]

From 2005 to 2007, Gould was Foreign and Security Policy Counsellor and the Representative of the Joint Intelligence Committee in Washington, DC. Afterwards, from April to July 2007, Gould was Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister, initially with Tony Blair and then under Gordon Brown.^[6]

He was Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary from July 2007 to July 2010, running the office of David Miliband for almost all the latter's time as Foreign Secretary, and then of William Hague for the first few months that he was in office.

In September 2010, Gould took up the post of British ambassador to Israel, and served in that role until 2015.^[12] He was the first Jew in the post,^[4] and spoke of his pride in the position on a number of occasions.

In a video message that coincided with his arrival in Israel, Gould outlined his three goals: Explaining Israel to Britain; explaining Britain to Israel and forging a strong partnership between the two. Gould said, “I need to give a strong message from Britain that as Israel goes down the difficult path to peace, Israel isn't alone.” He also said, “Britain is very clear: We regard Israel as an important strategic partner.”^[13] Before he was ambassador, Gould was involved in a number of secret meetings organised by Denis MacShane, involving himself, Liam Fox and Adam Werritty. The Foreign Office said in response that "The FCO has total confidence that Matthew Gould has acted appropriately at all times and at no stage was he acting independently, or out of line with government policy."^[14]

In November 2011, in discussing religious faith and diplomats, Middle East Minister Alistair Burt said that "there is absolutely no reason why our ambassador to Israel should not be Jewish. Any allegations about Matthew Gould's conduct are utterly unsubstantiated. He is a first-class ambassador." Douglas Alexander, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: "The faith of any British diplomat is irrelevant to their capability to their job. To make suggestions otherwise is wrong and offensive. On a personal note I know from my time in government Matthew Gould embodies all that is good in British diplomacy."^[15]

In late 2015, Gould was described as Director of Cyber Security and Information Assurance at the Cabinet Office.^[28]

In March 2016, he was listed as director of the European and Global Issues Secretariat, part of the Cabinet Office which coordinates policy on international trade and development.^[29] This role probably ceased when the unit was reorganised in June 2016 under Olly Robbins, in connection with the UK's relationship with the European Union.^[30]

In October 2016, Gould became the government's first Director General for Digital and Media, based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).^[31] In this role, which he held until May 2019,^[32] he worked on policies for connectivity, digital skills and growth of digital companies. The unit's remit was widened in March 2018 to cover open data, data ethics and data sharing.^[33] In March 2019, Gould described and defended the unit's role when he appeared before the Science and Technology Select Committee during its enquiry into digital government.^[34]

In May 2019, Gould was appointed as the first chief executive of NHSX, which oversees digitisation of NHS England and commissions projects from NHS Digital and other bodies.^[32] NHSX came to public notice in April 2020 after it commissioned NHS COVID-19, a contact tracking app to monitor the spread of COVID-19,^[35] which was later dropped by the UK government in favour of an Apple/Google-developed alternative.^[36][37] Michael Gove, Cabinet Office minister, described Gould as an "inspirational public servant" when replying to questions on the app in the Commons in April 2020.^[38]

When NHSX was merged into NHS Digital in February 2022, Gould was appointed dual roles as the National Director for Digital Transformation in NHS England, and Director General for Digital Transformation in the Department of Health and Social Care.^[32] He left these roles in April 2022.^[39]

In September 2022, Gould was appointed as CEO for the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).^[2]

Gould married Celia Leaberry in 2009, and their first daughter was born at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in April 2011.^[40] Their second daughter was also born in Israel, in May 2013.^[41] They lived at the British Ambassador's official residence in Ramat Gan with three cats and two dogs.^[42]

Gould received an honorary doctorate from Ben Gurion University in December 2012.^[43]